Hundreds came out to Exchange Place in Jersey City this afternoon to celebrate the city’s LGBT community at the 12th Annual Hudson Pride Festival.

The event featured food, vendors, and live entertainment, which included drag queens Harmonica Sunbeam and Lady Miranda emceeing the event, as well as performances by artists from all-girl rock group the Aster Pheonyx Project and R&B singer Damien Crawford.

On August 18, New Jersey’s gay community will gather at the waterfront in Jersey City for Hudson Pride. Despite the disbanding of the group that formerly organized the event, Hudson Pride Connections Center stepped in to make sure the annual festival would still be held at Exchange Place, although without the traditional parade.

JERSEY CITY, NJ – The 12th Annual Hudson County LGBT Pride Festival will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 18 2012 at Exchange Place Plaza in Jersey City, NJ.

The Hudson Pride Festival is organized by Hudson Pride Connections Center. Jonathan Lucas, interim Executive Director of Hudson Pride Connections Center, said, “The 2012 festival theme is ‘PRIDE 365.’ The theme highlights the Hudson County LGBT community’s commitment to show our pride every day of the year. And at Hudson Pride, it also points up our commitment to serving our community all year long.”

This year’s celebration will focus on highlighting the diversity and contributions of the LGBT community & allies through vendors, presentations and performances at the Exchange Place Festival. There will be no parade from City Hall. Hosting this year’s festival are the wildly popular and renowned illusionists Harmonica Sunbeam and Lady Marisa with music by DJ Frank Lamboy.

In addition to the festival, Hudson County and Jersey City will be honoring LGBT Pride by raising rainbow flags at the Brennan Courthouse on Monday, August 13th at 5:30pm; and at City Hall on Wednesday, August 15th at 3:30pm.

These events are open to the public. There is a $5 suggested donation for the August 18th Pride Festival.

For more information and to see a complete listing of entertainers, vendors and events go to www.hudsonpride.org .

Hudson Pride Connections Center, a 501c3 community benefit organization founded in 1993, exists to bridge the gap in services and respond to the unmet needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender community, as well as HIV positive people of any orientation or identity, through supportive social services, prevention, outreach, advocacy and trainings for other service providers, to educate, empower, and unite all of our communities. For more information, visit: www.hudsonpride.org.